How Does A Werewolf Walk?

[neoritter]

...(plus if you read anything on the old true story of the famous French werewolf (loup garou) "The Beast of Le Gevaudan" there were reports that this werewolf was able to move "both" ways."

Its been reasonably proven that the Le Gevaudan beast was a serial killer. Evidence points to a conspiracy of sorts.

That aside, four legs only for sake that the myths lean toward that. But a hybrid wolf is definitely "cooler". I personally dislike the hybrid when used in movies. First, for some reason they can't seem to make a good looking hybrid and it would be so much simpler to make a larger wolf. Also, I would love to see a movie that focuses on the four-legged variety rather than the bipedal. I think the only movie that included an actual wolf was the movie Wolf with Jack Nicholson.

[Fencediddy]

I think that a werewolf gets around on two legs most of the time however when going for speed he would go on all fours but more of a gorilla style gallop so to say for lack of a better description. this would allow an easy use of the claws and for swinging off things if the need arose to beable to quickly use ones hands.

[White Paw]

given certain circumstance...mostlikely switch between both two and four judging the application needed......

[shade]

I'll be the odd man out here and go with "on all fours". I like the pre-wolfman werewolf , one where you become a large wolf.

Honestly, I'm a bit more partial to that myself. The Idea of a human suddenly becoming not human is what really attracts me to the genre the most. The sheer contrast, and psycological dilemas that would ensue from such a drastic change facinates me.

That is not to say that I hate the Wolf-Man scenario by any means. Both have their own potential for great stories. Bi-pedal werewolves open much more possibilities for dirrect human vs were conflicts.

I'd have to agree completely with that. The only Bi-pedal werewolf that i've taken a liking to are the ones from VanHelsing, but I prefer the transformation from human to a large, Dire-like wolf.

[BlackWolfDS]

I agree with that too. I also think it's up to the werewolf to decide which stance it will take.

[Vuldari]

I'll be the odd man out here and go with "on all fours". I like the pre-wolfman werewolf , one where you become a large wolf.

Honestly, I'm a bit more partial to that myself. The Idea of a human suddenly becoming not human is what really attracts me to the genre the most. The sheer contrast, and psycological dilemas that would ensue from such a drastic change facinates me.

That is not to say that I hate the Wolf-Man scenario by any means. Both have their own potential for great stories. Bi-pedal werewolves open much more possibilities for dirrect human vs were conflicts.

I'd have to agree completely with that. The only Bi-pedal werewolf that i've taken a liking to are the ones from VanHelsing, but I prefer the transformation from human to a large, Dire-like wolf.

Wow...

That was one of the first messages I ever posted on this forum, and though my opinions have changed slightly about some things, I still feel pretty much the same about this subject.

As short and simple as this topic and poll was, it is interesting to note that it very well may have played one of the most influential roles in the re-writing of the film script. After all...in the original "Devoured" screenplay, I don't think the werewolves had the ability to take on both forms...but in "Freeborn" they do.

...a decision quite possibly inspired by this very thread started by a lurker who only posts once every few months or so...maybe. It just goes to show that you don't need a high post count to make a difference around here...just good questions and good ideas.

Very interesting.

[MoonKit]

Whoa. Who knew there were 71 people who would vote!

Well like almost everybody I voted for a little of both. Neither one is prominent. I guess it depends on the situation, the terrain and how the werewolf is feeling.

[StarDancer]

I agree. In gestalt form they can switch between two legs and four.

[Lupin]

Whoa. Who knew there were 71 people who would vote!

Behold the power of thread necromancy!

[Syzygy]

Definetely both options.

You're all threadmancers.

[KaninZ]

Newbie poster, so this has probably already been covered elsewhere. Would the werewolf be digitigrade or plantigrade?
If digitigrade, it seems it would be seriously awkward to go on all fours. plantigrade and able to transition between both would be my choice.

[RedEye]

Since Digitigrade IS the way that Wolves get around, I'd suspect the Were' would do muchly the same thing.
As to "Quadding it"; As a part of the Shift, the shoulder blades slide to the sides of the ribcage near the back,* giving the Were' a sort of hunched appearance. Going to all fours simply means moving the 'blades farther forward along the ribcage, to give the forelimbs the necessary extra length.
Thus advantaged, the Werewolf can climb angles that are impossible for humans to climb, simply because of the extra grasping and traction of four podial members, while still capable of standing erect when desired.

*The Shoulder blades aren't attatched solidly to anything; they're held by tendons and muscles. That's how so-called "Anatomical wonders" can dislocate their shoulder blades, and flip them up under the skin of the back, like 'wings'. If they can move that well, then relocation isn't all that far out, as the ribcage goes from the Human flat to the Lupan rounded.
According to a couple of Bio-majors I asked, there's even enough give in the muscles and blood vessles for it to work.
I have seen an "Anatomical Wonder" move his shoulders almost three inches forward around his ribcage; so the Quad isn't all that impossible...for humans.

[STARWOLF_THE_MYSTIC]

I like the idea of both.
4: for speed
2: for fighting
But they are both interchangeable for those two reasons depending on the circumstances. And therefore in my opinion I think it should really depend on which stage of the transformation they are at and also a matter of personal preference differing from being to being is involved.

[JoshuaMadoc]

I feel that this all comes down to preference.

Yes, i know, the obvious facts have been stated. I won't need to repeat what's been said.

In a unique scenario, there could be a lycanthrope who spent most of his/her life running upright and maybe run so well and quickly that he/she doesn't realize how much faster he/she can run with 4 legs.













But since i'm using my IMAGINATION than my LOGIC, i'll see to it that this post will hold little significance whatsoever. >:I

[John Wolf]

I think both would be a good answer, as the style seems to work on 2 and 4 legs.

[Kelpten]

I picked four legs because I just don't like the idea of the Gestalt form all together. My image of the werewolf is a human that changes into a wolf and vice versa, with no blending of the two forms. Of course you're all welcome to disagree.

[Vuldari]

I picked four legs because I just don't like the idea of the Gestalt form all together. My image of the werewolf is a human that changes into a wolf and vice versa, with no blending of the two forms. Of course you're all welcome to disagree.

Good for you.

That's really what werewolves were supposed to be about anyway...this whole upright wolfman thing is just because someone thought that would be a scarier thing to have to fight off.

There are just not enough fans like you here Kelpten who see it that way...far too many are purely set on werewolves that look like Anthropomorphic Cartoon characters.

Personally...I choose both, because I like a little of all of the above.

I like the Vintage Hollywood 'Wolfman' which can only walk on two legs...I like what ScottGardener calls the "Consensus" werewolf ,which is capable of both...but I also think that Traditional 100% Human transformed into 100% Wolf, (minus the tail in some legends) Werewolves will never be 'obsolete'.

...there is just something about the idea of a Human, not just changing into something that closely, or vaguely resembles a wolf, but actually leapfrogging the species barrier and fully becoming a full blown WOLF...furry, carnivorous, instinctual and four legged (like a REAL wolf...Not just a mindless killing machine with a taste for human children, but a tactful, territorial pack hunter) that is fascinating and inspiring in ways that big, burly, monstrous 8-Foot Tall "Gestalt" werewolves are not.

...on the other hand, Traditional Werewolves are not quite as intimidating, or primed for entertaining Mayhem as "Gestalt" Style Werewolves are.

It all depends on what kind of story I'm in the mood for.

[Kelpten]

Yay! Thanks!

[Midnight]

...there is just something about the idea of a Human, not just changing into something that closely, or vaguely resembles a wolf, but actually leapfrogging the species barrier and fully becoming a full blown WOLF...furry, carnivorous, instinctual and four legged (like a REAL wolf...Not just a mindless killing machine with a taste for human children, but a tactful, territorial pack hunter) that is fascinating and inspiring in ways that big, burly, monstrous 8-Foot Tall "Gestalt" werewolves are not.

I'm totally with you on that point. The thing is, until very recently it would have been next to impossible to do properly on film... an actor in a heavy furry costume may look a bit clumsy, but would act out a part so much better than would a real wolf (as I understand it, wolves can't just be "trained" like dogs - and even dogs wouldn't be easy to work with - it's not for nothing one of the show business axioms - so well known that I've even heard of it - is "never work with children or animals").

Now, with computer animation really coming into its own (just as Technicolour did 60 or 70 years ago) so much more is possible. Not that there's anything wrong with anthropomorphic wolves either - and with technology there's now no excuse for not doing a decent job of them - but the old traditional full-human-to-full-wolf can (at long last) be done justice as well.

[WerewolfKeeper3]

Forgive me for talking about my story, again, but:
My Were's have three forms
Human
Werewolf (or gestalt)
Wolf

The Human is only used to hide.
The Werewolf is the form they do most of their stuff in.
Wolf: running, jumping, playing, anything that you could or want to do on four legs. I prefer a separation between the Werewolf and wolf forms. Some of the drawings I've seen have the were being able to walk on all fours or two just by dropping to their hands. I just don't think a werewolf can walk normally like that, let alone be able to do anything.

[RedEye]

Let's consider something here: Practicality. We Smoothskins go to all fours when climbing a steep slope, using our forelimbs as forelegs.
Were's would be at least as practical. Use the method that best gets you from here to where you want to be.

Alternatively; for those who remember the Sixties; How would a werewolf walk?
Truck, truck, truckin' all day long....

[Terastas]

Going to side with RedEye on this one. Walking with digitgrade paws might be comparable to walking around on the tips of your toes. It isn't easy, but with enough practice you can even run that way.

Moving about on all fours might be easier for a werewolf, but the mind is still that of a human that has been living with the "left foot, right foot" mentality all their life. Even though it might be easier to go down on all fours, I think most werewolves would prefer to walk upright.

I also agree that a werewolf could shift into full wolf, but I also think the gestalt form would more or less be the default form, IE: a werewolf can force themselves to shift into a full human or a full wolf, but anything induced involuntarily (like the first full moon, for example) would only push them as far as to the middle ground. Defining lycanthropy as being a full shift from man to wolf would make the gestalt form a partial shift, and last I checked, partial shifts were a very unpopular idea.

[RedEye]

Actually, if you consider a partial-shift as a "Panic-Shift"--how little Wolf is necessary to get the hell outa' there; even partial shifting makes a sort of sense.
I see it as the most dangerous shift as well: The Shift-ee is still recognizable; by clothing, by facial structure...sorta' a minimalist Werewolf shift. It is only controlled by the Limbic system of the brain-the oldest part; it doesn't care squat about anything but getting the hell out of Dodge as fast as possible. Think the Lon Chaney Jr. "Brillo-face" Werewolf done on the cheap in the face department. The feet there would likely remain Plantigrade (Heel-strike), since the decamping Werewolf would be sprinting, which uses only the toes.
Odd, that we, as a Plantigrade species run the fastest by doing a mock Digitigrade stance (look at a sprinter- the heel isn't used at all).
That's my take on the WW walk/run business: Ever practical, the Werewolf uses whatever works best, given the circumstances.
Which is why they probably don't exist: Practicality...

[wolfsangel]

Actually, if you consider a partial-shift as a "Panic-Shift"--how little Wolf is necessary to get the hell outa' there; even partial shifting makes a sort of sense...

...Odd, that we, as a Plantigrade species run the fastest by doing a mock Digitigrade stance (look at a sprinter- the heel isn't used at all).
That's my take on the WW walk/run business: Ever practical, the Werewolf uses whatever works best, given the circumstances.
Which is why they probably don't exist: Practicality...

hey, my freind and i both run like that and we are the few fastest people at my school...
anyways i agree with red eye, a partial shift is best defined as a flight-or-fight instict(a.k.a. "panic shift"). to me it makes perfect sense because it allows minimum amount of stalling time and puts out quick reaction time... atleast thats what i get from it.

[Curan]

both